Gun control has elicited a heated debate in the country over the last two decades. Before the gun control laws were passed in the 90’s only a handful of people understood the pros and cons of having guns among civilian populations.

This guide intends to highlight what you can do about gun control and why we might need it.

What is Gun Control?

Gun control, is the set policies and laws to control the production, sale, purchase, modification, and use of firearms by civilians. As any other controversial issue, the facts tend to get twisted, making it difficult to separate facts and fiction. In some instances, the phrase is used to cover correlated matters such as limits on some types of ammunition or weapon technology.

The state of gun control today

Federal law limits certain individuals from owning firearms: those with criminal records, mental illness, drug addicts, veterans who left the military with dishonorable charges, and immigrants without legal status. Further, Federal law requires gun dealers to conduct comprehensive background checks to see if a client is prohibited from owning a firearm.

On the ground, however, there seems to be minimal enforcement of these laws based on the devastating mass shootings we have witnessed so far. These indiscriminate shootings have affected even learning institutions. For example the Florida school shooting that claimed seventeen lives.

The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution

The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution reads: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Such language has created considerable debate regarding the Amendment’s intended scope.

What you can do about control

Gun control requires a collective effort for it to be a success and reduce mass shootings around the country. However, at an individual level you can get involved in the push for a safer country. Here is what you can do;

Support anti-gun violence campaigns
Anti-gun violence campaigns seek to sensitize the masses about the effects of gun violence have been launched countrywide. These campaigns afford you the opportunity to have your voice heard. If there is one such movement in your neighborhood, you can sign up.

Educate yourself about gun safety
Given the current state of affairs, it is vital to educate yourself and your family about gun safety. You can start by learning the basic first aid tips for someone who has been shot. Also, get to learn how to react in emergency situations for example when there is a shooting.

Know the laws governing gun control
Getting to know gun control laws will enable you to know who shouldn’t and who should harbor a firearm. With the basics of the law at your fingertips, you can report any suspicious gun holders to the authorities. This way you can help alleviate a possible shooting.

Engage your congressman
There are several legislation today meant to abolish gun control laws. If you are against such legislation, you can make your voice heard by calling your congressman and urging them to vote against the bills. This might seem like a long shot, but it is always worth a try for a safer America.

Why we need gun control?

General safety
According to mass shootings tracker, there were 427 cases of mass shootings in 2017 alone. Schools have also been affected despite them being gun free zones. With such compelling statistics, it only makes sense that gun control laws are implemented fully, and stricter measures added.

Also, with gun control, it is easier for the police to distinguish assailants from victims during a mass shooting. Otherwise, if all civilians attempt to protect themselves, the police find it hard to tell apart the gunmen and innocent civilians.

Anti-gun control laws will lead to more guns
Proponents of the anti-gun control laws forget that this will facilitate gun ownership among civilians. Whereas this is seen as a strategy to enable people to protect themselves, the opposite is bound to happen: With more people harboring firearms, isolated incidences of shootings will increase.

Strict gun control measures have succeeded overseas
Strict gun control measures have succeeded elsewhere in a bid to curb indiscriminate shootings. For example in Australia, after the government banned all semi-automatic rifles, gun violence declined by a great deal.

Whereas results may vary from country to country, the general observation is that gun control facilitates a safer society. As such, it makes sense to implement stricter gun control measures in the country.

Gun control has also completely failed overseas…

As the gun control debate picks momentum, it is vital to remember that at the end of the day we are all on the same side. We all want a safer society for our children, our parents, our friends and all Americans. Gun control is a logical way to achieve this and create a safer country where every individual can pursue their goals without fear.

When it comes to situations where you need to be putting meat on your table for your family, it’s often better to have a rifle instead of a hand-gun. A high-powered rifle with long-range power should be in every survivalist’s arsenal.

Not just from the standpoint of these high-powered rifles being extremely fun to shoot, but when it comes to dangerous situations these are one of the most useful.

But, we all know that a handgun can be useful in those instances where carrying around a rifle is not a possibility.

So, what is the best survival gun no matter what the situation?

Depending on your situation and where you live, you’ll want to keep different things in mind. I spent some time researching this topic and came across an article that nailed the subject on the head. I would be doing you a dis-service if I didn’t just share that article with you.

So rather than act like I’m the smartest guy around (only in my own mind), I decided to share the following excerpt from Ranger Man at shtfblog.com.

1) The Mighty AR-15!

This should really come as no surprise. My only guess as to why so many survival writers don’t list the “Black Rifle” as their top choice is because they want to set themselves apart from the pack. Like in politics, when you’re the man on top, you can expect attacks. There are very solid reasons for the AR-15’s extreme popularity and cult-like following. There are very solid reasons why its the #1 choice of the U.S. military and paramilitary groups (“AR-15” to include all variations). It’s the best – period.

Advantages: very common caliber; fast bullet with flat trajectory; highly adaptable platform that allows the user to meet mission specific needs; extensive options readily available; they’re everywhere (meaning so are parts); wide variety of available rounds from 55 grain to 75 grain, tracer rounds, steel penetrator tips, etc.; very, very light recoil; Made in the U.S.A., and in the case of Bushmaster, Made in Maine 😉

Disadvantages: smaller caliber than what’s found in other battle rifles; many moving parts; rather annoying to clean compared to other rifles; the gas system often comes under criticism for throwing the “gunk” back into the chamber (some call this “shitting where it eats”), though this problem has been remedied in some newer models (at a higher cost).

2)Ruger 10/22 Rifle

I can hear it now, “What!?” That’s right, the .22 rifle. It’s ALL about survivalism. Look, when TEOTWAWKI hits you’re going to want a rifle like the Ruger 10/22 for put some sort of meat on your dinner plate. Squirrels, gophers or the neighbors’ cats, the 10/22 is quiet, effective, and you can shoot all damn day for what it’d cost you to buy a 6-pack of PBR.

Additionally, a little recognized fact, Chechen rebels successfully used .22 rifles for sniping purposes against Russian troops in urban settings. The urban setting consisted of narrow streets and close buildings allowing these “snipers” to get exceptionally close to their targets. They strapped soda bottle silencers on them to further the effectiveness. I don’t care what you say about the .22lr, take one in the neck and you’ll think differently.

Advantages: already stated – go buy one

Disadvantages: none whatsoever

3) Compact 9mm Handgun

What’s a more common caliber than the .45 ACP? The 9mm. Unfortunately, it’s the most common handgun caliber in the United States used against police officers. Thugs love it. Love the 9mm, but don’t be a thug.

Advantages: cheaper to shoot than the .45 (and thus practice with); high capacity magazines; easier to conceal and carry

It’s durable, designed to be thrown into a mud hole for a month when it can be dug out and immediately used without cleaning. That might be an exaggeration, but not by much. It also delivers a beefy round for a standard issue assault rifle. If you’re outside the United States, there’s likely readily available parts and ammunition.

Advantages: banana clips, baby; jungled clipped banana clips, baby

Disadvantages: lacks the accuracy found in other assault rifles; made in China, or Russia, or Yugoslavia – you get the idea.

The sound is undeniable. You hear that and you instantly know what it means, “You wanna roll with me?” The only reasonable response is, “errrr . . . . nah, I’ll move along.”

You can get a shotgun that’ll take a bigger shell, but you don’t need it. The 12 gauge is exceptionally common and it’ll take a variety of shells: birdshot for game hunting survival purposes; double-ought buck for pushing intruders not only down, but back out the window they came in through; and slugs for anything else.

Advantages: common caliber; many accessories available for this model (pistolgrips, tube extensions, etc.); obscene knock-down power

Disadvantages: none come to mind

What do you think?

Can you think of any other Guns To Guarantee Your Survival No Matter What The Situation? Let us know in the comments below…

The magnitude 8.2 earthquake that ravaged southern Mexico on Thursday was the largest to shake the country in nearly a century.

Like California, Mexico is a seismically active region that has seen smaller quakes that have caused death and destruction. But Thursday’s temblor is a reminder that even larger quakes — while rare — do occur.

Scientists say it’s possible for Southern California to be hit by a magnitude 8.2 earthquake. Such a quake would be far more destructive to the Los Angeles area because the San Andreas fault runs very close to and underneath densely populated areas.

The devastating quakes that hit California over the last century were far smaller than the Thursday temblor, which Mexican authorities set at magnitude 8.2 and the U.S. Geological Survey placed at 8.1. Mexico’s earthquake produced four times more energy than the great 1906 San Francisco earthquake, a magnitude 7.8, which killed 3,000 people and sparked a fire that left much of the city in ruins.

Southern California’s most recent mega-quake was in 1857, also estimated to be magnitude 7.8, when the area was sparsely populated.

Here’s what a hypothetical magnitude 8.2 earthquake would look like in Southern California — a quake that begins near the Mexican border and moves north and west through L.A. County into central California. (Los Angeles Times)
A magnitude 8.2 earthquake would rupture the San Andreas fault from the Salton Sea — close to the Mexican border — all the way to Monterey County. The fault would rupture through counties including Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino.

An 8.2 earthquake would be far worse here because the San Andreas fault runs right through areas such as the Coachella Valley — home to Palm Springs — and the San Bernardino Valley, along with the San Gabriel Mountains north of Los Angeles. The fault is about 30 miles from downtown Los Angeles.

Thursday’s earthquake occurred in the ocean off the Mexican coast and began about 450 miles from Mexico City — and it was relatively deep, starting about 43 miles under the surface.

In Mexico, “you’ve got [many] people a pretty long way aways from it,” seismologist Lucy Jones said Friday. But in Southern California, “we’d have a lot of people right on top of it. It would be shallow, and it runs through our backyard.”

A magnitude 8.2 on the San Andreas fault would cause damage in every city in Southern California, Jones has said, from Palm Springs to San Luis Obispo.

Now they’ve gone so far to include prepaid mobile phones, retail gift vouchers, or even electronic coupons. Evil, evil, and evil.

These people are certifiably insane.

Among the bill’s sweeping provisions, the government aims to greatly extend its authority to seize your assets through “Civil Asset Forfeiture”.

Civil Asset Forfeiture rules allow the government to take whatever they want from you, without a trial or any due process.

This new bill adds a laundry list of offenses for which they can legally seize your assets… all of which pertain to money laundering and other financial crimes.

Here’s the thing, though: they’ve also vastly expanded on the definition of such ‘financial crimes’, including failure to fill out a form if you happen to be transporting more than $10,000 worth of ‘monetary instruments’.

Have too much cash? You’d better tell the government.

If not, they’re authorizing themselves in this bill to seize not just the money you didn’t report, but ALL of your assets and bank accounts.

They even go so far as to specifically name “safety deposit boxes” among the various assets that they can seize if you don’t fill out the form.

It’s crazy to begin with that these people are so consumed by the fact that someone has $10,000 in cash.

But it’s even crazier that they’re threatening to take EVERYTHING that you own merely for not filling out a piece of paper, without any due process whatsoever.

Oh, and on top of civil asset forfeiture penalties, there are also criminal penalties.

Right now according to current law they can imprison you for up to FIVE YEARS for not filling out the form. Five years.

But apparently that doesn’t go far enough to protect us against evil men in caves.

So this bill aims to double the criminal penalty to TEN years in prison.

And if that weren’t enough, this bill also gives them with new authority to engage in surveillance and wiretapping (including phone, email, etc.) if they have even a hint of suspicion that you might be transporting excess ‘monetary instruments’.

Usually wiretapping authority is reserved for major crimes like kidnapping, human trafficking, felony fraud, etc.

Now we can add cash to that list.

It’s not just government spy agencies to worry about, either.

Banks in the US are already unpaid government spies, required by law to fill out suspicious activity reports on their customers.

Then Congress started expanding those requirements to include other businesses and industries that might come into contact with cash.

So, Amazon.com, which issues and redeems prepaid gift cards, will be required under this bill to file reports to the government.

For that matter, TGI Fridays and Chuckee Cheese will also become unpaid government spies since they both issue and redeem prepaid vouchers.

Truly these Senators have figured out how to strike at the heart of ISIS.

Further, their bill wants to pull any business which “issues” cryptocurrency under the anti-money laundering regulatory umbrella.

Here’s where these people demonstrate that they have no idea what they’re talking about.

No one “issues” Bitcoin. There’s no Bitcoin central bank. There’s no Chairman of Bitcoin who decides on a whim to increase the supply.

Bitcoin is created automatically amounts that are pre-determined by its code. It’s software.

So the Senate is essentially trying to force the Bitcoin core software to comply with money laundering regulations.

How pathetically clueless.

The bill also attempts to drop a major bomb on Bitcoin by including it in the list of monetary instruments that must be reported when entering or leaving the US.

So theoretically if you leave the US with more than $10,000 in Bitcoin or Ether, you’d have to confess this fact to the authorities or otherwise face the aforementioned penalties, i.e. prison time, civil asset forfeiture, etc.

As Smaulgold.com’s Louis Cammarosano explains, the bill contains a provision that would require the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection to devise a “border protection strategy to interdict and detect prepaid access devices, digital currencies, or other similar instruments, at border crossings and other ports of entry for the United States, including an assessment of infrastructure needed [emphasis added] to carry out the strategy.”

The respective Secretary and Commissioner would present their findings to Congress no later than 18 months after passage of the bill.

The obligation to declare amounts in any form over $10,000 exists, irrespective of whether custom officials have a way of detecting such holdings. Since digital currencies technically travel with the holder where ever the holder goes, one would have to declare one’s entire crypto portfolio each time the holder entered the U.S.

Such a declaration is not required for travelers who may happen to have bank accounts or precious metals worth more than $10,000 stored outside the United States.

The type of infrastructure required to detect foreign holdings may come in the form of (i) expanding Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act to currently unregulated foreign crypto currency exchanges and to non U.S. citizens. FATCA currently only applies to U.S account holders of certain foreign financial and non financial institutions; (ii) some type of global monitoring of blockchain activity; or (iii) extreme vetting at the border and penalties for non disclosure that would encourage full disclosure.

HOORAY FREEDOM!
As you can see, this bill criminalizes or delegitimizes the most mundane and harmless financial activities, all under the guise of keeping us safe.

Of course nothing in this bill is about keeping people safe.

ISIS couldn’t care less about forms and penalties.

This bill is nothing more than another weapon in their ongoing War on Cash… and now cryptocurrency too.

The Ultimate Guide to Living Off The Grid

There are numerous disadvantages to having your life tied to the grid. Firstly, it means that you have to adhere to all the set rules created by whoever is in charge of the grid. The people in charge of the grid are not really concerned about taking care of the environment. Thus, by living on the grid, you are contributing to the slow death of the Earth.

Living off the grid means that you are insulated when disaster strikes. For instance, if war breaks out, your survival will not depend on the ability of those in charge to keep things running. The grid is derived from the ‘electric grid.’ However, it refers to various utilities such as food, water, and other amenities you need to survive.

Understanding What Living Off the Grid Will Mean Personally and Legally

Recently, there has been a lot of misleading information spreading, claiming that living off the grid is illegal. However, these articles are not wholly wrong. Government regulation has made it more difficult for people to live off the grid. After all, the government would lose the most if everyone suddenly went off the grid.

In some places in America, regulation has made it illegal to collect huge quantities of water or to have solar power, which is not tied to the grid. In some places, you may even be prevented from living in a travel trailer or to camp on your land. In other places, they have created regulation that makes it hard for you to build an off grid home. It is done by creating strict building codes.

Additionally, the banks are not very willing to lend on off-grid homes. Thus, it would seem that off-grid living is becoming quite difficult in America.

Differentiating Off Grid Living From Self-Sufficiency

Some people tend to intertwine these two terms. However, being self-sufficient does not always mean living off the grid. Living free of public utilities does not always make you self-sufficient.

By being self-sufficient, it means that you do not rely on others for food, power, defense, shelter, and many others. However, getting off the grid is a first step to being self-sufficient. Self-sufficiency is a long and complex journey that will require a lot of commitment to the course.

Getting an Off-the-Grid Source of Electricity

If you are going to be living off the grid, you will probably need some electricity. Some of the best methods for getting power off the grid are solar power and wind turbines. The choice of electricity source that you use will depend on your locality.

In some places, it could make a lot of sense for you to use solar power because you receive plenty of sunshine. In other places, it would make more sense for you to use wind energy, especially if you live on a slope that receives high amounts of wind. In some places, it would make more sense to use both solar and wind.
However, in all cases, you will need some kind of storage component for off the grid electricity. Wind and solar are intermittent sources of electricity. It means that they only work when there is wind or the sunshine respectively. Ensure that you choose a storage battery that has a long life and a huge capacity. Besides that, you will have to combine it with other technologies such as cloth lines and LEDs. They use less electricity, which allows you to conserve the limited power produced by solar and wind sources.

Use Micro Hydro for Off-Grid Power

If you are going to live off the grid, micro hydro power is probably your best bet. This type of electricity source only requires a source of running water and some elevation. The force of gravity will do the rest. The water will move to the bottom from the top, and the momentum will be used to turn the turbines.

The good thing about micro hydro power is that it is constant. Unless the river dries up, you will always have power in your home. It is thus important that you choose the source of you micro hydropower carefully. You should ensure that it does not dry up seasonally.

Otherwise, you will need to have an alternative for when it does dry up. If you do not have a stream running through your land, micro hydro is not a viable option.

Be Prepared to Look for Your Food

One of the most time and resource consuming activities of living off the grid will be trying to find your own food. For instance, you will need to learn how to track wildlife for protein and how to grow food sustainably.

Creating food systems is not easy. Depending on how big your family is, it could take you up to ten years to get the system implemented. It is important that you plan for every aspect of your food production system without being in a rush.

Once you are done implementing the system, you will now need to focus on harvesting and storage. After you have managed to implement a system, you can expect to spend a significant amount of your time maintaining your system. You should also be prepared to do quite a lot of studying. You will have to read various books written by experts on how to create a sustainable food system.

You Will Need to Find Water

If you are living off the grid, you can do without most things, but water is not one of them. You will require water for keeping clean, cooking, and drinking. Otherwise, your attempt to live off the grid will fail.

One of the most common methods used is to drill for water.

However, that may not be possible in some areas because of fracking. You will be forced to use other methods to access your water. To pump the water from the ground, you can use wind or an electric pump.

If you have wind power, it is the best option since it consumes the least amount of energy. One way of getting an alternative source of water is by using rainwater collection. If you live in an area that receives good rainfall, ensure that you collect every drop you can. However, you will need to install a system to treat the water. That way you avoid drinking water that has been contaminated by bird droppings.

You will also need to have a major storage tank. The water level sometimes gets too low for you well during the dry months. Have a storage vessel that can hold at least 1000 gallons of water. If your water pumping equipment fails, you will still have a source of water before you can do repairs. Set the water collection tank in such a way that it collects water and delivers it to you by gravity.

Reduce Water Usage

Besides having enough water, you will need to reduce your usage. In America, everyone uses about 100 gallons of water daily per person. In comparison, people in Africa use about 5 gallons daily per person. That is clearly and an indication that you may need to make a few adjustments to how you live.

You will need to purchase appliances that are water-efficient such as dishwashers and laundry machines. That way, you will reduce the risk of running out of water while living off the grid.

Building Your Off-Grid Home

If you are going to live off the grid, you will want to come up with a house that is not hooked up to the grid.

Additionally, you do not want to use conventional materials to come up with a house since that would go against your desire to be independent of the grid.

Why It is Important to Use Natural Materials

Cement production is one of the most environmentally polluting activities on earth. Besides that, it requires huge amounts of energy to produce just one bag of cement. The waste produced by cement factories is also not recycled. If you use natural materials, you will be reducing the impact you have on the earth, which one of the reasons for off grid living.

Some of the most common materials used in off grid living are straw bales, sawdust, wood chips, sticks, and earthy materials. The most common earthy materials used are earthbags, adobe, rammed earth, cob, sand, stones, and rock. Other materials often used for off-grid house construction are coconut, sisal, cork, and bamboo. These are all fast-growing plants that can be renewed with ease. You can learn more about that here.
The best way to determine what material you will use is by looking at your area. If you find that there is sand, clay, rocks, or lime, that may be what you should use. The main reason for using materials in your environment is that you will not have to transport them over long distances. The energy used to transport materials over a long distance usually contributes to environmental pollution.

Consider Using Trash

Most people are familiar with the use of old tires, used bottles, and even soda cans for home construction. Constructing a house with tires usually entails packing tires full of cement or earth and stacking them on top of each other.

However, a less common but effective source of construction material is debris from construction sites. If you know of an old structure that is being brought down, you can opt to acquire the existing materials to construct your house.

For instance, old doors, the roof tiles, and the kitchen counter tops may be re-used for your project. Many companies out there buy debris from demolition sites and use it to construct new homes. Consider using one of these companies to construct your off grid home.

Always think About Size

The average size of homes in America today is double what it was about 50 years ago. A big home uses a lot of energy and resources to construct. If you are living off the grid, you do not want a structure that will cost you a lot just to live in.

Consider coming up with a home that only has as much space as you need. You may also opt to purchase a modular home that comes with everything you need.

Sewage

You will require a waste disposal system if you plan to live off the grid. If you have already installed a septic system, you are already living off-grid. That means that your waste does not go to the waste treatment plant. However, if you do not have a septic system, it is still possible to live off-grid.
You home will generate two kinds of wastewater when you live off the grid. The first is black water and the other is gray water. The gray water does not have to be wasted. It can be used to flush the toilet or for purposes of watering the garden. By using it in this manner, you will have reduced your water usage footprint a great deal.
You now have the black water to deal with. This water results from the attempt to get rid of human waste from the home. The best way to get rid of this water is to use a composting toilet. The system captures it and puts it in the same compost bin as kitchen waste, grass cuttings, and kitchen scraps. Consequently, the wastewater is converted into fertilizer for use in your garden.

Summary

While living off the grid is a huge effort, it can be done. An average person with basic knowledge on home construction and mechanics can turn this into a reality.

If you are going to go off grid, you will also need to think about efficiency. Otherwise, you may have to expend excessive amounts of energy just to survive.

I guess we all have an impression in our minds about what off-grid kids might be like. The movie Captain Fantastic does a pretty good job of showcasing one side of it, although it’s very Hollywood based.

But there are so many variables…. the Fouch Family came from a traditional “on grid” life and now has come into their new life of becoming homesteaders.

Now their experience continues to progress as the stories they tell will become more and more from the voice of experience.

Here’s what our kids, ages 7, 5, and 2 have to say about the simple life. Some voiceover from their parents, explaining things, as the kids show off their make-believe Sarlacc and some Olympic-style bed jumping.

As we reported yesterday, Lithuania confirmed the presence of U.S. special forces inside its territory, stating the deployment’s purpose is to train local forces and act as a deterrent against Russian aggression. Supposedly, the move is in response to a “escalation” by Vladimir Putin, who has been deploying nuke-ready missiles in the Russian province of Kaliningrad located in the heart of central Europe. This move has prompted the neighboring Baltic states to become “highly concerned” about Russian military activity.

Furthermore, sometime during the spring of 2017, NATO is expected to send battalions of 800 to 1,200 troops to each of the Baltic States and Poland. The mainstream media has even dubbed NATO’s recent buildup the alliance’s “biggest military buildup on Russia’s borders since the Cold War.” Even Great Britain will be sending fighter jets, as well as troops to Romania in order to counter Russia in the region.

Over the last several years, Russia has made it abundantly clear in the past that its deployment of missiles is a deterrent against NATO expansion along its borders, in what is effectively a cat-and-mouse game that continues to be played with catastrophic consequences, and which neither side can win.

DIY Shelter and Hunting Camp

Check out this nice diy shelter and hunting camp, which comes with a camo lean-to sleeping area, walls that are completely surrounding it to prevent animals from entering and even a hunting stand inside.

Inside is also a fire space and the lean-to features a mylar blanket as part of the ceiling to reflect the heat from the fire back at the sleeping space.

Have you ever built something like this?

The beauty of this DIY Shelter is that you have heat from both the front and the back because its reflected. A drop-down plastic sheet that protects against rain or wind. The plastic blocks the rain/wind while allowing the heat of the fire to come through.

This is brilliant because it keeps the heat inside the sleeping space to make sure you’re warm.

The video is by Survival Lily. She will take you through all the features of her shelter in the first video and in the second she spends the night in the shelter in winter. I like these videos mainly because they were by a woman and shows that women can be as capable at building a shelter as men. Most outdoor survival videos are by men so this was a nice change.

Wonder what it would be like to camp out overnight in this diy shelter and hunting camp?

In this video you’ll learn how to make a slingbow

A sling-bow is basically a slingshot that’s altered to shoot arrows. They are pretty powerful depending on what materials you use to construct them with, and can be made on a very slim budget. So without further ado lets begin!

You’ll need:

A sling shot

A golf tee

An O-ring

Two medium zip ties

An old beat up arrow

A few strips of duck tape

The first thing you need to do is to prep the sling shot. The first step in doing this is to take off the existing elastic bands, and discard them. Next take your heavy duty replacement bands and trim them until there’s 1 inch of band for every 5 inches of arrow.

For example I trimmed my bands to 5 1/2 inches, and they work perfectly with my 25” arrows. Next put your bands on and leaving a quarter inch to a half inch of extra band extending at the end. To test pull it back to it’s max draw and have someone measure the distance from the pocket to the extra bit of band on the sling shot.

You want this number to be less than the length of the arrow by one or two inches.

The arrow rest is what is going to hold the arrow before and during the release. You want the O-ring, to be perfectly vertical, so to do that you first need to put one of the zip ties through the O-ring and then around the end tag of the elastic band like in the picture above.

Don’t tighten it all the way yet, we’ll get to that later. Then next to get the ring to stand vertical you need to counter twist the other zip tie. If you are confused at this point just reference the pictures above.

Now tighten the zip ties until the ring is right in the center, and vertical.

If you need further instructions check out the original article here, http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Sling-Bow/step8/The-Nock/

How to Make Rice Water

Learning how to make rice water is really easy and you most likely already have all of the ingredients that you need to make it.

Why is rice water useful?

Rice water is useful when someone is having any type of stomach issues like vomiting or diarrhea. It is very calming if you have an upset stomach, insanely bland, starchy and helps with getting some nutrients into you (or whoever isn’t feeling well)

It really is simple to learn how to make rice water.

All you need is

Rice

Water

Those are the two ingredients you need, simple. Right?

Put two tablespoons of rice into a pot with 1 cup of water. Do not add salt. Now, bring the water to a boil and boil until the rice is tender.

Then strain the rice out and the milky liquid that is left over is the rice water you are looking for.

You can then eat the rice, or add it to a recipe or even use it to feed chickens or your pet dogs. Just don’t boil it for too long because then the rice water will be extremely thick.

We find that anywhere from 15-30 minutes is the right amount of time to boil.

If it gets too thick, you can water it down.

Be sure to let the rice water cool before serving the person who isn’t feeling their best. You can drink it warm or cold so keep that in mind.

Biggest Reason to Learn How To Make Rice Water

The primary reason to make rice water is for relief of diarrhea.

Bland and hydrating as a broth, rice water is a bit starchy and provides soothing relief for stomach upset whether you drink it hot or cold.

This home remedy for diarrhea is effective and also provides a negligible amount of vitamins and minerals, which is beneficial over drinking water alone.

Benefits of Rice Water

Rich in the vitamin B complex, folic acid, iron, potassium, magnesium and zinc, rice water gains its properties during the cooking process of rice. White rice is ideal, since during the cooking process it loses more properties than whole-wheat rice. Among its biggest benefits are:

It will now be legal for gun owners in the Sunshine State to temporarily carry concealed handguns without a permit during periods when the sun isn’t shining so bright.

Now law is a measure to allow law-abiding citizens without concealed carry licenses to bear arms during declared mandatory evacuations. A reboot of a failed 2014 bill that was killed in last minute political maneuvering, this session’s effort had an easier go of it after police lobby groups embraced the proposal. It passed the Republican-controlled Senate in an easy 29-10 vote while the House last month approved it by a 86-26 margin.

“As Hurricane Season approaches it’s critical that our rights are protected during natural disasters,” advised Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-Petersburg, in a statement. “With the signing of SB 290, all lawful gun owners will be permitted to carry a concealed weapon if they are complying with a mandatory evacuation during a state of emergency. I’m proud to have sponsored this bipartisan bill ensuring that we have the right to protect our families during these sometimes chaotic times.”

With all the politically-correct activism against supposedly rampant police brutality against citizens, where every action law enforcement takes under stress when every second counts is under scrutiny, we now have the most ludicrous and dangerous recommendation from an activist police commission as to what police should do when confronting someone armed.

Run away.

And tragically, this is not a joke.

From the official blog of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, If a police officer is confronted by a suspect with a weapon, those entrusted to set policies for the Police Department believe officers should run away.

That’s the recent finding from the Los Angeles Police Commission which has turned Monday morning quarterbacking into a weekly agenda item at the three-ring circus they preside over every Tuesday morning. In the Commission’s most recent decision on an officer-involved shooting, in which a suspect charged at two officers swinging an 8 to 9-inch knife, they faulted the officer for not “redeploying” to “create distance.” In plain English: the officer didn’t run away.

The key facts in this case are not in dispute. A female suspect, armed with an 8 to 9-inch knife, charged at officers, repeatedly ignored commands to stop, and was recorded yelling “shoot me” as she swung her knife from side to side.

The armed suspect quickly closed the gap between her knife and the police officers from 70 feet to less than 5 feet in under 10 seconds. That is when the first officer discharged his service weapon. The second officer involved had only three seconds to respond to the imminent threat. Even the Commission stated that “It was reasonable for Officer C to believe, in the moment when the use of force occurred, that the subject would imminently assault him with the knife.”

So where’s the beef?

The officers didn’t run away.

Suspect charging from the front. Vehicles on either side. Where do you “redeploy?” Run backwards. This is absurd and it’s dangerous. What happens if the officer loses his footing with a charging suspect? What happens if the suspect runs into a nearby home or store and confronts its occupants with her weapon? What if the suspect also had a concealed gun?

What is created when an officer turns tail and runs away is a large target. It’s called a back. The officer would put their lives in further jeopardy by running away if the suspect had a gun. At this close range, running away would create a self-caused danger to the officers and the public.

It sure must be easy to talk about “redeploying” an officer’s position while sipping a Diet Coke or bottled water while sitting in a police-guarded, air-conditioned room, in a cushy office chair, watching the events unfold in slow motion on a big-screen TV.

The message the Los Angeles Police Commission is sending to officers confronted with a violent and dangerous suspect is clear: You can save your life or save your job, but you cannot do both.

Liberalism is neutering our law enforcement. It has already neutered our military – literally and figuratively, as transgender troops are welcomed and Rules of Engagement are made so stringent, warriors like Clint Lorance end up in jail for actually killing the enemy.

The inmates are running the asylum and already criminals are owning the streets. Not surprisingly, police recruitment is struggling and morale is plummeting. In Chicago for example, police stops are down by 90 percent as violent crime skyrockets.https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20160331/bronzeville/chicago-police-stops-down-by-90-percent-as-gun-violence-skyrockets So far this year, 3,182 people have been shot in the Windy City, 494 fatally. Only eight of those killed were officer-involved shootings. That’s just 1.6 percent – hardly an epidemic, but you’d never know that from reading the liberal media.

Nobody volunteers to become a police officer if the job description includes “sitting duck,” “target” and “impotent.”

No wonder gun sales to private citizens are skyrocketing across the nation. Who’s going to protect us if the people who are supposed to are told they cannot?

The FDNY says none of the injuries appear to be life-threatening at this time.

Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano and Acting Police Commissioner Thomas Krumpter announced Saturday night that the Nassau County Police Department is on heightened alert following the explosions in New York and New Jersey.

Several people were injured in an explosion in Chelsea Saturday night. (Photo: Adie Kriegstein)

Several people were injured in an explosion in Chelsea Saturday night. (Photo: Adie Kriegstein)

The victims were taken to area hospitals. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arson and explosives task force is responding to the explosion as well.

People in the area told PIX11 they could feel the vibrations from the outdoor explosion.

“I was eating dinner and felt the vibrations of the blast,” said Yemi Osibogun, a Bronx resident who was seated at a nearby sushi restaurant. “My plate actually shook.”

Facebook activated their safety check feature for the explosion, allowing users nearby to tag their safety.

The explosion comes hours after a pipe bomb exploded in Seaside Park, New Jersey near the Semper Fi 5K Charity Run Route. The device was also placed in a garbage can.

Photos posted to social media showed hundreds of people standing in the streets trying to figure out where the explosion came from.